Supporting and guiding pre-service teachers strengthens our profession and is critical to creating the dynamic and inspirational teachers of tomorrow.

Great teachers have the qualities to support pre-service teachers undertaking their professional experience placements.

Great teachers:

• know the content of the subjects they teach and have a deep understanding of how learning happens
• are role models of learning
• are also those with the personal attributes, dispositions and values that engage students and inspire them to learn and achieve.

What have previous supervising teachers said?

I find the experience incredibly rewarding and I always come away from the experience having learned about my own teaching practice. - Supervising Teacher

Being part of the training of preservice teachers is valuable to existing teachers - enabling reflection of practice and collegial discussion with new practitioners. - Supervising Teacher

Some of the key roles of a supervising teacher.

You would be expected to:

• demonstrate a clear commitment to supervising and developing pre-service teachers with a focus on helping them understand and improve their impact on student learning. Resources to support: self-reflection against the graduate standards, SMART goal planning template, classroom practice feedback - graduate and guided reflection after an observation activity.

• assess the professional practice of pre-service teachers rigorously and fairly against the requirements of the placement and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the graduate career stage and provides evidence-based feedback to pre-service teachers. Resource to support your judgement: Professional experience - Evidence guide for supervising teachers
• take responsibility for your own professional development as a coach, advisor, and assessor. Have a look at the AITSL Supervising preservice teachers learning modules
• act as a role model to pre-service teachers by participating actively in all aspects of a teacher’s professional life.
• assist the pre-service teacher to work with and learn from other teachers who are effective in particular areas. Resources to support this include proven strategies that support high quality professional experience placements
• demonstrate your professional commitment by including pre-service teachers in professional activities and positioning them as active contributors.
• support the integration of work-based learning with coursework and other provider-based learning undertaken by pre-service teachers through collaboration with colleagues and provider staff.
• collaborate with the professional experience coordinator, the provider professional experience director and school/early childhood leadership to provide early and appropriate support and advice to pre-service teachers experiencing difficulties in meeting the requirements of the placement

Adapted from Participant roles and responsibilities in professional experience

More information on your role as a supervising teacher is available from Professional experience - Common roles and responsibilities (PDF 112.38KB)

The Department has guidelines for the supervision of pre-service teachers which includes both mandatory requirements and best practice suggestions.

Want to know more about being a supervising teacher?

• Watch the AITSL videos of effective professional experience case studies
• Read the CESE literature review on Professional experience in teacher education
• Review the NESA Framework for High-Quality Professional Experience in NSW Schools
• Review the rates for supervising teachers and coordinators
• These videos of illustrations of the Graduate Standards in action are intended to be used in a developmental growth model that focuses on the mentoring steps supervising teachers should take to help pre-service teachers move to the next level.